Street Photography: Creating A Cohesive Vision!

There's a story behind every memorable street photo - a story that invites the viewer to ponder the deeper truths and emotions hidden beneath the surface. An artist must uncover these stories, discern what weaves the disparate elements of a scene together into a cohesive whole. Street photographers need a keen eye for detail, the ability to see nuances that others might miss. Observation is the key, immersing yourself in life's flow and letting stories emerge, one frame at a time.

Creating a cohesive vision

After you've identified the story, street photography's true art is crafting a cohesive vision.

It's a series of images that come together to tell a story. You have to master composition and framing. A good storyteller also knows how to guide the viewer's eye through the story.

There's a fine line between spontaneous and deliberate, candid and composed. Street photographers must embrace the unpredictable nature of their subject matter while controlling the narrative. Carefully curated and sequenced content shapes the viewer's experience.

Here are five images of men in their daily morning routines to share a visual statement. Three monochrome and two colour images with strong contrast to evoke emotions.

The first image shows a man tossing a plastic bag into a truck. No further explanation is needed for those who know it's a garbage disposal crew at work, but for viewers who don't know this local routine, the image can only tell them that someone tosses a plastic bag onto the truck. A sense of mystery is created by the dark and contrasty tones in this image.

There are several bags on the scene, suggesting it's a clean-up job. Image 2: Here, we see a man dragging the bag towards the truck. This is a black-and-white image. It's more documentary flair than anything mysterious.

Image 3: A dispatcher approaches with a helmet as a man eats breakfast on the steps. In spite of the fact that the main subject here is the guy enjoying his food, the background sets up the next colour shot.

Image 4: Strong red contrast against black with a helmeted man. The subject is completely different from the monochrome shot in image 3. However, putting two images of a similar figure in helmets makes the viewer wonder if the subject is the same and how the photographer captured it in two completely different settings? That's the fun part of creating a vision. Men at work is the vision.

Unlike the previous images, where the subject matter was related, image 5 is unrelated. There's a color motif to tie the foreground and background subjects together. Green road sweeper clothes and green bus. I see transport as a common theme. The bus driver is clearly visible, which relates to the theme of men at work.

Location of Shoot: Changi Village, Singapore.